I have an early 1940's home, which has had foundation repair but still shifts a little with subsequent cracking of plaster. My bedroom ceiling is crackled, and some of the crackling has fallen off, and there are some long-standing cracks in the ceiling. I have had other ceilings smoothed, which have done pretty well with not much cracking afterwards, but was not wanting to go to the expense of having someone smooth out my ceiling. I'm hoping for a DIY project, and would love to use beadboard wallpaper on the ceiling, but was unsure how the wallpaper would react to shifts in foundation and how easily the wallpaper tears could be covered if they did crack?? any advice on an affordable way to cover the ceiling?? it really does look awful:) Thanks in advance for any advice!

It would be easier to keep patching the cracks and painting the ceiling than to try to repair wrinkled or ripped wallpaper on the ceiling. If you go the wallpaper route, buy plenty of exta paper! Also, after a couple years in place, the new paper probably would not match the old.

Real beadboard might hold up if mounted to strapping boards mounted to the joists, but that would not be inexpensive nor an easy do-it-yourself job.

Imperfections in walls and ceilings show through the textured / paintable beadboard wallpaper. It is a great way to get a beadboard look, but it is wallpaper. I have it in my bathroom. Walls need to be sanded if there is a lot of texture and holes or cracks need to be filled and smoothed before it can be applied. It is wallpaper, so can rip and tear despite being painted. I have even heard some people put polyacrylic over it – but the cracks and missing bits of plaster in your ceiling will all show through and the paper will rip or wrinkle as the ceiling shifts.

I have seen lovely real beadboard ceilings. Get some estimates and start saving up!